


you can sit beside me when the world comes down

by dare121



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, SOFT GAYS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dare121/pseuds/dare121
Summary: Barry’s earth is the same and yet it isn’t.When she looks at it, floating above the clouds with the sun at her back, she sees no difference. There are people; there are cars; the are big bodies of water, patches of forests, lone trees along roads. It’s the same.And it isn’t.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kara Danvers
Comments: 31
Kudos: 143





	you can sit beside me when the world comes down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Super_Starl8 (Starl8)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starl8/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Whiskey. Human Level. Neat.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16562621) by [dare121](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dare121/pseuds/dare121). 



> corona is killing me with social distancing and forcing me to switch jobs and doing uni with remote learning stuff so i havent been writing AT ALL
> 
> and then i got a nice message on tumblr and this tumbled out as a result
> 
> unbeta-d, we die like people
> 
> OH, and this is a prequel thingy to Whiskey. Human Level. Neat.

Barry’s earth is the same and yet it isn’t. 

When she looks at it, floating above the clouds with the sun at her back, she sees no difference. There are people; there are cars; the are big bodies of water, patches of forests, lone trees along roads. It’s the same. 

And it isn’t. 

-

“What are you doing?” Alex asks the first time they’re there together. 

Kara’s been on this earth before, of course, but not with Alex. 

Mon-El’s been with her, but she doesn’t like to think of him, especially not when she’s keen on showing Alex the subtle changes that make this earth such a wonder to be on.

“What do you mean?” Kara asks in turn as she holds the hotel room door open for Alex to pass by her. They’ve spent the night because the mission of the prior day hasn’t quite gone to plan. Originally, they’d only intended to spend a few hours away from their own world, but Kara is nothing if not flexible in her hero schedule. 

“Put on your glasses,” Alex demands, poking Kara’s forehead. “Do you _want_ the whole world to know you’re Supergirl?”

Blinking a few times, Kara rubs at her face, feeling a little slow on the uptake. 

Or maybe it’s Alex who’s missing a few key plot points.

“I don’t need to wear my glasses here,” Kara says, still holding onto the hotel room door. Two people pass by them and through the hallway, only sparing them a few seconds of their attention. It’s enough to cause a spike in Alex’s heart rate. With furrowed brows, Kara lifts her free hand to Alex’s forearm. “It’s okay.” She lowers her voice just for Alex’s comfort. “There’s no Kara Danvers here. You don’t have to worry about me or my secret identity. To the people here, there’s only one version of me. Only one version of you.”

Alex’s face scrunches up for a few seconds as though to argue, before her brows smooth out again and she lets out a breath. 

“I guess you’re right,” she says, running a hand through her hair quickly as though to wipe away any lingering doubt. “I guess we don’t have to worry about anybody recognizing us here. For any reason.” Her eyes flit across Kara’s face, something searching in her gaze. A moment passes, and Kara’s grip on Alex’s arm tightens. Just so. 

“We’re safe,” Kara agrees gently. A soft smile plays across both their lips.

“At least from _looks_ ,” Alex allows, reaching up to fix the collar of Kara’s button-up. “You could even mix up your style a little. No reason to blend in anymore, right?”

Kara leans forward almost unconsciously, a soft warmth taking root in her stomach at the tender touch of the pads of Alex’s fingers. She nudges their foreheads together just slightly, a gesture she hasn’t felt comfortable enough to share in public since they were in high school. 

“Maybe,” she says, brushing her nose along Alex’s cheek.

“Maybe.” Alex’s fingers press down a little harder at the small intimate touches they’re trading. And for a second, it doesn’t feel like they’re talking about clothes anymore.

In the end, Kara puts on her glasses as soon as they’re out on the sidewalk outside the hotel. She’s not sure if it’s habit, or if it’s a line in the sand she doesn’t know she should cross. 

Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El, Supergirl.

It’s easy to lose track.

-

Barry’s earth is the same and yet it isn’t. 

When she looks at it, floating above the clouds with the sun at her back, she sees no difference. There are cities; there are roads; there is crime, there are tears, droplets of blood spraying across concrete. It’s the same.

And it isn’t.

-

“What do you think of this one?” Kara asks, twirling around in front of Alex in yet another hotel room. 

They haven’t been back to this earth for at least three months, and things have settled back into normal territory. They’re back to sister nights, back to sharing ice cream in Kara’s apartment, back to wearing their respective roles when they’re out and about. 

“It’s nice. I don’t remember you buying that,” Alex says from her spot on the bed - the one they’re sharing for the stay. A king-sized mattress and a pile of blankets they won’t use because Kara’s body heat runs too hot for Alex to handle anything more. 

The dress is red and ends just above Kara’s knees. It’s backless, and the neckline is a little more revealing than she would usually wear. They’ve been invited to a dinner party for some reconnaissance, and Kara wanted to go all out for once. While she can. While she’s allowed.

“I bought it years ago during the red kryptonite episode,” Kara says with long-practiced nonchalance. It’s a show of the growth they’ve both experienced since then, she thinks, to be able to speak of it so freely. And maybe it’s this earth with its consequence-free atmosphere that gives her the courage to say it without hesitation. “I haven’t had cause to use it since.”

Alex hums, her heart beating steady and strong. No hitch. No memory so bad as to cause a ruckus in her chest. They’ve moved on, well and truly. It’s as close to a perfect moment as Kara has ever imagined. 

“It suits you,” Alex compliments her, and Kara watches in the floor-length mirror in front of her as Alex unfolds her legs from underneath her and gets to her feet. She’s dressed in a nice blue dress of her own, though it’s one Kara has seen before. It’s a little longer than Kara’s and curls itself around Alex in all the ways that Kara never lets herself see. “I guess being here is a little bit like red kryptonite, in a way. No hiding necessary.”

“I suppose so,” Kara agrees, watching still as Alex comes closer before finally stopping right behind her. She shivers when she feels gentle fingers run along her naked back. 

“Although it’s good you still have some inhibitions,” Alex says, curling one arm around Kara’s stomach and laying her cheek against the back of Kara’s shoulder. “You could crush this earth like a grape.”

“Some inhibitions are appreciated,” Kara murmurs agreeably, drawing her finger along Alex’s forearm. The one she’s broken before. More than once. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

Alex chuckles.

“I don’t mind that so much,” she reveals, squeezing Kara a little closer. “I’d rather be hurt by you than touched by anyone else.”

It feels like a confession.

Or maybe, rather, it feels like it should feel like a confession. 

But it’s not new. 

Not really. 

It’s this earth, Kara thinks, with its enticing anonymity. With its lack of responsibilities. Its escapability. 

It’s dangerous.

It’s tempting.

It’s a fleeting moment created by a space and time vortex that blurs out everything else. 

For a time.

-

Barry’s earth is the same and yet it isn’t. 

When she looks at it, floating above the clouds with the sun at her back, she sees no difference. There are birds; there are wales; there are critters, small and large, all over the place. It’s the same.

And it isn’t.

-

“It’s nice to meet you,” the blonde says as she sits down next to Alex on one of the other bar stools. “I’m Sara. Lance. Or, if we’re going by our code names, you can call me The White Canary, I guess. If you’re into that sort of thing.”

Taking a sip of her whiskey, Alex lets her eyes pass across the woman, before they drift to the wider wedding reception. 

“Nice to meet you, too, Sara,” Alex returns the pleasantry, feeling warmed by their previous bonding moment. She likes a fellow woman who appreciates her hard liquor. “I’m Alex, but you can call me Agent Danvers. If _you’re_ into that sort of thing.”

She draws her attention back to Sara’s face and off of Kara’s, who’s on the dance floor with Iris and Barry. 

“Danvers, huh?” Sara asks, nipping at her own whiskey. Neat, just like Alex’s. “Any relation to Sunny Danvers over there?” She jabs her thumb in Kara’s direction. “You sisters or something?”

For a moment, Alex’s brain stalls.

It’s a simple question.

Too simple. Too complicated.

“Nah,” she finally settles on, surprising herself with the answer. “Just one of those coincidences, I guess.”

Sara snorts and nods.

“The universe sure is a strange place,” she says, clinking her class against Alex’s. “To unlikely coincidences.” 

They drink, and Alex doesn’t question her answer.

Nor does she question it when she turns down Sara for a quickie in the bathroom. It’d be the right thing to do, maybe, after her break-up with Maggie. Something to get her mind off of the nosedive her life has taken recently. But it doesn’t feel wrong, or even like a difficult choice. 

In any case, Sara seems to understand. 

She smiles and elbows Alex’s side. 

“Good luck, Agent Danvers,” she says, her eyes moving from Alex to Kara and back again. Meaningfully. With more understanding than Alex has herself, perhaps. “Hope it works out for you.”

“Me, too,” Alex says, agreeing to something she’s not quite sure she should want in the first place. 

-

Barry’s earth is the same and yet it isn’t. 

It isn’t. 

Isn’t.

Is.

Isn’t.

-

“Do you think I’m here, somewhere?” Alex asks as they stroll along the bank of a lake near this earth’s version of Midvale. 

They’re back again, on this planet, during this time period.

Away from prying eyes that she seems to forget every time they’re here.

Kara’s hand is warm in hers. Steady. Soft.

“I don’t know,” Kara says, coming to a halt under a large cherry tree that’s blossoming. It’s not native to the area, Alex thinks. Or maybe it is. She doesn’t know, not on this earth. “I’ve never checked.” 

The sun is shining, bathing them both in its warm, friendly rays, causing Kara’s blonde hair to glow and glitter like strands of gold. 

Again, their routine has only just returned to normal. Sister nights, ice cream, platonic hugs. Platonic hands sliding across skin. Platonic kisses pressed to hair. Platonic nights spent intertwined in Kara’s bed, Alex’s sweat coating Kara’s skin. 

It’s platonic, Alex thinks. 

Familial, Kara thinks.

But it doesn’t feel that way as Kara turns her face to the sun and closes her eyes, basking. 

“I don’t want to know,” she admits, drawing Alex closer by the hand and curling her free arm around her waist. Up close, she looks the most inhuman, the most human. The most. Kara. 

Alien. Sister. Friend. 

“I don’t know what I’d do,” Kara says, brushing the underside of her jaw along Alex’s hair, eyes still closed. “I don’t know, if... If I could...”

Heart in her mouth, Alex lays her lips against the ivory column of Kara’s throat.

“I love you,” she whispers against the skin there, feeling free of the constant scrutiny of the universe. Their universe. 

Kara draws both hands to Alex’s cheeks.

They’re alone. 

And even if they weren’t, what would it matter?

There’s no one here, no one on this earth, save for a handful of people, who even know they exist. There are no old high school friends or enemies, no parents, no colleagues or acquaintances. No neighbors. 

“Do you?” Kara whispers, dropping her face so her lips slide along Alex’s temple. “Do you love me? Here?”

Her fingers splay, tipping Alex’s face up so their eyes connect. 

“Yes,” Alex replies, breathless. “Here. Anywhere. Everywhere.”

Eyes closing again, Kara tugs Alex into a kiss. 

-

Barry’s earth is the same and yet it isn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you got something out of this! 
> 
> if you want to support me, find me on tumblr @goshdarnitjay
> 
> ALSO, TO ANYONE WHO LIKES TO READ GOOD FANFICTION, THE WONDERFUL PERSON I GIFTED THIS TO WROTE A COMPANION PIECE THAT SERIOUSLY ENHANCES THIS STORY. IT'S "In this universe" and can be found in the "Works inspired by this" thingy. Please read it! It's truly enchanting!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [In this universe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24307408) by [Super_Starl8 (Starl8)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starl8/pseuds/Super_Starl8)




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